My children are polite. No kidding...they are and maybe a little toooooooooooooo much these days. I dont know how they got here but sometimes I wish (I know...I'm mad) they weren't this polite.
It would start off like this...
Vaibhav- Sorry Shriya for accidentally touching your toe
Shriya- Never, mind!Sorry for keeping my toe out of my shoe
Vaibhav- Amma, sorry for not saying sorry immediately
Me- Vaibhav, thats OK! And please you guys don't have to apologize this much for something as simple as grazing a toe, ok???
Vaibhav- Ok, Sorry for saying Sorry, ma!
Grrrrrrrr....and that was just one sample. They are like the manners police. When we were in India they would constantly have their antennae tuned to find who's slipping a bit. The absolute heights was when these two went and offered a poor old beggar some money and made him say 'Thank You'!!! Of course they promptly muttered a 'You are welcome'!
Grandpas, great grannies...no one is spared. I've told them to please mind their own manners and leave everybody else out of it. They tell me "But amma, we ARE minding ours. How can we say 'You are Welcome' if the other person does not say a 'Thank You'?
Autumns here!!
Wednesday, December 8, 2010
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Aaaaw....my little boy's last week in kindergarten
It doesn't bother him one bit. In fact he tells me "I'm not going to miss kindy ma, I'm soooo excited about going to BIG school".
But I AM so going to miss Vaibhav being in kindergarten. I'm going to miss walking the 15 minutes and dropping both kids off at school with a tight hug and a wet kiss. I'm going to miss spending the mornings with both of them. I'm going to especially miss my darling boy being little.
Big school is definitely going to rob my son of whatever little babyhood that is remaining in him. He will be interacting with other boys....he'll learn to be tough, he'll learn bloopers(I cringe at the thought of it) and he'll behave like a big boy.He has already requested me to call him 'dude'!! When I asked him if he knew what it meant he innocently replied that all the big boys called each other that :-)
What can I say? Its been a week of mixed feelings. I am happy for him that he's going to start an exciting new journey at ACS. At the same time, my eyes well up when I think that this is the end of a phase.3 years have flown by. We've had beautiful moments. Vaibhav's first day in kindergarten, his first sports day, his first school outings were all as thrilling for us as for him. My heart still misses a beat when I think of those first two weeks in kindergarten when he screamed and cried and begged for me to be present in his classroom.
My sweetheart, I'm as emotional as you are excited. I'm just trying to hold on to something that I can't. You will grow up but will also always, always be my baby. So, the next time when you are with your friends and I happen to call you by one of your many petnames...please bear with me!
But I AM so going to miss Vaibhav being in kindergarten. I'm going to miss walking the 15 minutes and dropping both kids off at school with a tight hug and a wet kiss. I'm going to miss spending the mornings with both of them. I'm going to especially miss my darling boy being little.
Big school is definitely going to rob my son of whatever little babyhood that is remaining in him. He will be interacting with other boys....he'll learn to be tough, he'll learn bloopers(I cringe at the thought of it) and he'll behave like a big boy.He has already requested me to call him 'dude'!! When I asked him if he knew what it meant he innocently replied that all the big boys called each other that :-)
What can I say? Its been a week of mixed feelings. I am happy for him that he's going to start an exciting new journey at ACS. At the same time, my eyes well up when I think that this is the end of a phase.3 years have flown by. We've had beautiful moments. Vaibhav's first day in kindergarten, his first sports day, his first school outings were all as thrilling for us as for him. My heart still misses a beat when I think of those first two weeks in kindergarten when he screamed and cried and begged for me to be present in his classroom.
My sweetheart, I'm as emotional as you are excited. I'm just trying to hold on to something that I can't. You will grow up but will also always, always be my baby. So, the next time when you are with your friends and I happen to call you by one of your many petnames...please bear with me!
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Crafty we get!
Shriya and Vaibhav are totally into art and craft activities these days. A piece of paper, scissors and a bit of crayon can calm them down as much as a cuddle, book or nap! They received so many art & craft related gifts this year. Such thoughtful and fun stuff that they immensely enjoyed!
Here are a few that they've tried their hand at....
Vaibhav's Spoon art
Fairy Art------- and the results
Shriya's own diary
Early Learning Centre (ELC) has a fascinating collection of craft ideas for little ones. I find them extremely calming, a great way to bond with the kids and an interesting way to spend an afternoon indoors.
Warning Hazard: You could get hooked on to these a little more than your kids which could irritate them :-)
Here are a few that they've tried their hand at....
Vaibhav's Spoon art
Fairy Art------- and the results
Early Learning Centre (ELC) has a fascinating collection of craft ideas for little ones. I find them extremely calming, a great way to bond with the kids and an interesting way to spend an afternoon indoors.
Warning Hazard: You could get hooked on to these a little more than your kids which could irritate them :-)
Tuesday, November 23, 2010
Too much birthday fun!
November has been a spate of birthdays! My calendar for this month is full of the kids' social engagements!! This week was the worst with 5 birthdays!
It was all heralded by Shriya's own which was thankfully a straight forward picnic party for her 4th! A few of her close buddies, homemade snacks+store bought pizza, books for return favors and endless fun at the botanical gardens. They had a blast- feeding the birds and fish, playing tag, blowing bubbles.
Now, don't get me wrong...we love birthday parties....the whole joy of choosing the right present to enjoying the fun games and food! The kids have a whale of a time!
There are parties thrown by school friends, kids of our friends, friends of our friends, building friends ( and we've moved thrice but still have a warm spot for our old buddies)!!When they were younger it was an average of 2 birthdays a month which was just nice. And then of course, there were the dry months when there were none and we had more time for picnics and parks. Now, there are just too many that we have to carefully plan the logistics.My husband and I actually take turns to ferry the kids and back just so we have time for OUR stuff.
And then there are the trips to the toy stores and choices to make. Toys R Us Vs ELC (Early Learning Centre) , Fun toy Vs Learning Toy, Toy Vs Book, Book Vs Clothes!!
And the parties are no longer as simple as they were too. The kids have been to parties held at soccer fields, indoor play gyms and outdoor science labs! They come back super exhausted, irritable, sweaty and too tired for anything else.
Too much of anything is never good and birthday fun it has been...a little too much! Soooo wish that we could space them all out throughout the year and savour each at leisure!
It was all heralded by Shriya's own which was thankfully a straight forward picnic party for her 4th! A few of her close buddies, homemade snacks+store bought pizza, books for return favors and endless fun at the botanical gardens. They had a blast- feeding the birds and fish, playing tag, blowing bubbles.
Now, don't get me wrong...we love birthday parties....the whole joy of choosing the right present to enjoying the fun games and food! The kids have a whale of a time!
There are parties thrown by school friends, kids of our friends, friends of our friends, building friends ( and we've moved thrice but still have a warm spot for our old buddies)!!When they were younger it was an average of 2 birthdays a month which was just nice. And then of course, there were the dry months when there were none and we had more time for picnics and parks. Now, there are just too many that we have to carefully plan the logistics.My husband and I actually take turns to ferry the kids and back just so we have time for OUR stuff.
And then there are the trips to the toy stores and choices to make. Toys R Us Vs ELC (Early Learning Centre) , Fun toy Vs Learning Toy, Toy Vs Book, Book Vs Clothes!!
And the parties are no longer as simple as they were too. The kids have been to parties held at soccer fields, indoor play gyms and outdoor science labs! They come back super exhausted, irritable, sweaty and too tired for anything else.
Too much of anything is never good and birthday fun it has been...a little too much! Soooo wish that we could space them all out throughout the year and savour each at leisure!
Happy Birthday sweetheart!
Shriya's turning 4 on the 29th of October!
As the second born, we wanted her to be the baby, wanted her to lisp, wanted her to grow up slowly. But our little girl was never really a baby ever.And maybe because she's always had her older brother to look up to and ape, she's been in quite a tearing hurry to grow up. Its only when we look back at pictures and compare her with little ones who are 2 and 3 now, do we realize that she has always been way too put-together, very mature and super talkative.
Shriya coolly skipped the baby books and enjoyed listening to the Arthur series and Berenstain bears series which I would read to her brother. Sometimes guiltily, I would pick a baby book (Spot series etc) and read to her and all she would say was "easy, peasy, lemon squeezy book nana"! If her brother watched Barney at 3, Shriya at 3, watched Little Einsteins and Garfield since her brother had already moved on. The other day I had a Barney craving( never thought that day would come) and wanted to hear some of the familiar songs. Both my imps chorused "baaaaaby stuff"! They choose similar books, watch similar shows, play with a common set of friends and entertain each other oh so beautifully when I'm not with them.
At two, she sang her way to our hearts- in Tamil, English, Mandarin and even one in Malay! At three she was telling everybody what to do and what not to do (especially her older brother)- who once told her "Shriya, please remember that YOU are NOT my mother". At four what will she do?
Oh, she has it all planned out. "When I'm 4, I want to go to ballet class and karate class and have my first sleepover (god save me!), learn multi- lip-lication like anna, buy a pink watch and my own bottle of purple nail polish with my own money"!
My little girl, you've added tons and tons of joy to our lives. Hope you have a blast at your birthday picnic. Enjoy every minute of this year.....make the most of 4!
As the second born, we wanted her to be the baby, wanted her to lisp, wanted her to grow up slowly. But our little girl was never really a baby ever.And maybe because she's always had her older brother to look up to and ape, she's been in quite a tearing hurry to grow up. Its only when we look back at pictures and compare her with little ones who are 2 and 3 now, do we realize that she has always been way too put-together, very mature and super talkative.
Shriya coolly skipped the baby books and enjoyed listening to the Arthur series and Berenstain bears series which I would read to her brother. Sometimes guiltily, I would pick a baby book (Spot series etc) and read to her and all she would say was "easy, peasy, lemon squeezy book nana"! If her brother watched Barney at 3, Shriya at 3, watched Little Einsteins and Garfield since her brother had already moved on. The other day I had a Barney craving( never thought that day would come) and wanted to hear some of the familiar songs. Both my imps chorused "baaaaaby stuff"! They choose similar books, watch similar shows, play with a common set of friends and entertain each other oh so beautifully when I'm not with them.
At two, she sang her way to our hearts- in Tamil, English, Mandarin and even one in Malay! At three she was telling everybody what to do and what not to do (especially her older brother)- who once told her "Shriya, please remember that YOU are NOT my mother". At four what will she do?
Oh, she has it all planned out. "When I'm 4, I want to go to ballet class and karate class and have my first sleepover (god save me!), learn multi- lip-lication like anna, buy a pink watch and my own bottle of purple nail polish with my own money"!
My little girl, you've added tons and tons of joy to our lives. Hope you have a blast at your birthday picnic. Enjoy every minute of this year.....make the most of 4!
Saturday, October 23, 2010
Thanking every single blessing and more
Last week, Vaibhav and Shriya were down with nasty virals. Their temperatures fluctuated all the way till 104 and the poor things braved their way through an awful time. They were complaining of limb aches and headaches and all kinds of never-before -mentioned aches and pains!
One night suddenly Shriya developed some blood clots on her leg and was writhing in pain. V was down with the fever and my husband was away on work. I had no clue where S might have developed the clot... not that I remember her banging into anything. I googled and browsed and finally panicked. What if the clot had something to with the fever and pain??
It was midnight, Sunday. I first called for a cab. Then packed stuff for Shriya, bundled her up, left V with the housekeeper and took the waiting cab to the children's hospital. The hospital was busy and bustling even at that time. The nurses swiftly checked her temp (it had shot up again) and administered a dose of paractamol. After blood tests, we were taken to a doc who already had the results!! She assured us that everything was normal and that it could all just be a bad case of a viral relapse.
I heaved a huge sigh of relief!
What I went through those few hours are inexplicable. How much we take for granted. Kids playing, laughing, talking....everything is a wonder. And yet, we casually view them as normal. Anything not 'abnormal', we treat as 'normal' but never as 'wonderful'. That night, hearing Shriya question the doctors/nurses in her sweet, clear voice reminded me of everything I'm thankful for.
I am grateful to the taxi drivers who at anytime in Singapore will arrive at your doorstep and help you out like gentlemen. Where else would I get medical services in a jiffy on a Sunday night? So thankful that I can return home even at 4am without a worry!
So thankful for every blessing, little and big and everything in-between!
One night suddenly Shriya developed some blood clots on her leg and was writhing in pain. V was down with the fever and my husband was away on work. I had no clue where S might have developed the clot... not that I remember her banging into anything. I googled and browsed and finally panicked. What if the clot had something to with the fever and pain??
It was midnight, Sunday. I first called for a cab. Then packed stuff for Shriya, bundled her up, left V with the housekeeper and took the waiting cab to the children's hospital. The hospital was busy and bustling even at that time. The nurses swiftly checked her temp (it had shot up again) and administered a dose of paractamol. After blood tests, we were taken to a doc who already had the results!! She assured us that everything was normal and that it could all just be a bad case of a viral relapse.
I heaved a huge sigh of relief!
What I went through those few hours are inexplicable. How much we take for granted. Kids playing, laughing, talking....everything is a wonder. And yet, we casually view them as normal. Anything not 'abnormal', we treat as 'normal' but never as 'wonderful'. That night, hearing Shriya question the doctors/nurses in her sweet, clear voice reminded me of everything I'm thankful for.
I am grateful to the taxi drivers who at anytime in Singapore will arrive at your doorstep and help you out like gentlemen. Where else would I get medical services in a jiffy on a Sunday night? So thankful that I can return home even at 4am without a worry!
So thankful for every blessing, little and big and everything in-between!
Monday, October 18, 2010
Golu Galata!
Gosh!!The past 9 days have been a whirlwind of activity! Sarees, pavadais, sundals, visits....lots of excitement! For once, V & S had their mid-term break during a festival (or atleast during the beginning of one)! They were as always very enthusiastic about setting up the golu, adding their own special touches to it.
In the midst of visiting and greeting friends, I gave a dance performance for which I had been sweating it out during rehearsals for the last 1 month. The kids were seeing me perform live for the first time and were completely enthralled! Vaibhav brought all his friends backstage to see his amma who looks 'scary from near' with all that makeup. A bunch of 5 year olds giggled away while some others dared to come closer just to make sure it was only 'Vaibhav's mom'!
We did maximum golu visits this year and had the most number of people visiting us too. Shriya dutifully gave away the vethalai pakku and the lovely bags we had lugged back from pudhu mandapam, Madurai! Another aspect of our golu visits that I loved was the immediate willingness to sing. Both of them sang at every golu without any inhibitions and cared a damn if anybody listened to it or not.After all that Navratri frenzy I'm now busy tending to two sick children. The poor things are very hungover from Navratri and I'm just keeping my fingers crossed that they are up and about before the Diwali mania hits us!
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